


Out Of His Shadow

by consideritalljoy



Series: Cycles Continue [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Canon Compliant, Conversation, Gen, Thrawn told the Emperor the truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consideritalljoy/pseuds/consideritalljoy
Summary: With alternatives failing, Thrawn asks Eli to leave his side and his galaxy to save the Chiss from the evil seeking to destroy them.





	Out Of His Shadow

Why Thrawn had asked to meet in his office first thing the morning after being assigned the 7th fleet, Eli couldn’t guess. He hoped it was simply in celebration, but knew the Chiss too well to think that. No, Thrawn was up to something. What that was, he had no idea. 

Eli entered Thrawn’s office and found him, unsurprisingly, focusing his gaze intently on a piece of art. Actually, there were two pieces, side by side, as if he were examining them in relation to one another. 

He had spent a lot of time watching Thrawn look at art. In more recent years, the Chiss had often gone so far as to explain to Eli what he saw as he analyzed each piece. Eli never imagined he’d be able to find anything on his own, but he’d seen enough to know that one of the pieces was a rarity, even for Thrawn. The heavy use of cool blues and highlights of whites and warm tones, each only minutely different in shade to his eye, confirmed it. Chiss.

The other Eli would not have needed training in art analysis to discern. Lysatran. 

“Commander, good morning,” Thrawn said, eyes flickering to Eli but art holos still in place. That was odd. Thrawn usually dismissed the images when entering conversation. “Allow me to show you the similarities in these pieces. I believe you will find them most interesting.”

Eli walked to stand next to Thrawn, still very much confused. “Sir?” he asked, looking from one piece to the other. 

“What do you see?” Thrawn asked.

“The one on the right is pretty obviously Lysatran. I’d know that style anywhere. The one on the left… I noticed it when I came in. It’s Chiss, isn’t it?” Eli asked in return.

Thrawn rose an eyebrow. “What makes you come to that conclusion?”

“Chiss pieces started showing up here pretty recently. Not many, but it’s not hard to see the similarities. The dominant colors are all cool tones, like your skin, and probably like your ice world, too. There’s a lot of whites, but it’s never a pure white. It’s always got a little shine of a warm tone in it, like light reflecting off ice. You’ve talked about that before, on your world. There are a lot of reds that all look the same to me, but I’ll bet they all look a lot different to you.”

Eli squinted a bit, but didn’t stop talking. “In addition to all that, the edges are curved and delicate, but exacting. Makes sense given how you Chiss seem to work; you’re elegant and rigid all at once. Overall I’d say it’s pretty obvious where this came from. Are all the Chiss like you are about art? Is that why they make their art look so much like themselves?” 

Eli could have sworn he saw Thrawn smile faintly. “Excellent, Commander. Correct on all counts. To answer your questions, I will first say that no, not all Chiss find art as illuminating as I. The second question is based on an incorrect assumption.” There he stopped.

“What assumption is that?” Eli pressed.

“All artists by nature create art that reflects themselves in some way. The Chiss are no different. The false assumption you have made, Commander, lies in believing this connection to be obvious. To you and to myself, it would seem to be. I have found that most others do not share this opinion. There was a time not so long ago where it would not have seemed so obvious to you as it does now.” 

“Is this what you came to talk to me about?” Eli asked. 

“Can you see any similarities between these two pieces?” Thrawn asked, completely ignoring Eli’s question. 

Eli’s eyebrows knitted together, but he turned back to the art. They seemed pretty different. Lysatra and Thrawn’s world were about as different as two worlds could get, so it made sense. 

The more Eli looked, though, the more he noticed. “The colors mix the same. Well, not the same, really. Close. The color schemes are pretty different, with the Chiss putting warm highlights on cool paintings and Lysatrans doing pretty much the opposite. We prefer harder angles than you Chiss, too. But the blend—it’s intentionally not perfect. You can see a lot of the places where the dominant shade changes. When you look at the whole, you can’t tell, but when you look up close it’s plain as day.”

Thrawn moved away from the images and sat down at his desk, pressing the control to close the holos. Eli moved to be near him, and Thrawn motioned that he sit as well. With a tiny shift in position that no one but Eli could have registered as indicating some level of discomfort, Thrawn spoke. “Now you begin to see the reason I have asked you here.”

“Not really, sir. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“When I was brought to the Empire, you witnessed my meeting with the Emperor, and therefore are aware that I have been exiled. I launched a preemptive strike against an enemy I deemed to be a threat. My people did not believe me when I told them of the evil that would one day attack them, nor did they listen when I warned that waiting for that evil to strike first would likely lead to our defeat.”

Eli raised his eyebrows and jutted his chin quickly forward. “I definitely remember the Emperor. You said you wanted him to let you take the Empire’s military force back to your world one day to help you fight off the evil, whether your people wanted you to or not. Said you didn’t need their permission to help them. That about how it went?”

“Your memory serves you well. I have not forgotten my objective. It is why you are here.”

“Me?” Thrawn had asked the Emperor for no less than a fleet. 

“Yes. We have been with the Empire for fifteen years now. I was exiled for a fair number before then. I cannot be sure of the exact timeline, as I had no way to count with much accuracy, and the Empire likely uses a different measurement entirely. Regardless, I know it has been some time. Too long.” Thrawn kept pausing like the conclusion to draw should be obvious. It wasn't to Eli. 

“But… you were only just assigned the 7th fleet, sir,” he argued in confusion. “You can’t leave now. What with the insurgents on Lothal, I don’t think the Emperor would let you, anyway.”

Thrawn nodded somberly. “Precisely. I cannot leave, and yet my people are in great need—a need which grows more urgent daily. I have known for a few years that I may not be able to leave myself, and that the task may fall to another. I attempted to recruit Nightswan for this very purpose.”

Eli’s eyes shot open at the name. “Nightswan?” he asked incredulously. 

“Yes. He was a good tactician. Had he accepted, his influence would have been gone from the Empire and my people would have been aided. However, he refused, and is now dead. I find myself in a position I am dissatisfied with but must accept nonetheless.” If Eli hadn't known better, he would have said Thrawn was fidgeting. 

“Which is?”

Any movement surrounding Thrawn vanished in a sudden vacuum and his tone was formal, even by his normal standard. “Commander Vanto, will you help my people?” 

Eli’s blood ran cold. “Is that a joke?”

The stillness continued with all the same urgency. “Not at all. They ignored me when I warned them all that time ago. They won't have a chance to retaliate. It may already be too late, but as of yet there is hope. I fear there soon won’t even be that.”

By the end of Thrawn’s explanation, Eli felt a little more stable, even if nothing made sense. Confusion could be fixed by questions. “So your people don’t even know what this ‘evil’ is, then?”

“They do not. They simply need to know that it is coming and that they can be ready for it, but that as it stands, they are not.” Thrawn leaned his elbows on his desk and pressed his finger tips together. 

Eli threw Thrawn a skeptical look. “If you expect me to go headlong into the Unknown Regions in the name of an exiled commander to warn people about some mysterious ‘evil’ that can destroy them, you’re going to have to be more specific. Tell me what the evil actually is so I can tell them and they can prepare this time.”

“You misunderstand, Commander,” Thrawn replied. “You would not go to the Chiss as a messenger. You would go to them as the preparation.” 

Eli was suddenly cold again. “Sir, you’re talking like I’m a strategist. I’m not you. I never have been. I can understand some of the plans you make, but I could never make any of my own. I can’t singlehandedly convince an entire planet of Chiss to prepare for some great evil force. I couldn’t even if I knew what it was.”

“Much of this preparation would have to be done without the Ascendency’s knowledge, and it is therefore best that you yourself know only what is required. This enemy will fight without open fire. Ultimately, it will come to that, but if the Chiss Defense Fleet waits until being fired on to retaliate, they stand no chance. You've heard of the Jedi, I assume? Like them, this enemy wields a power able to manipulate matter and harness minds. To resist, one’s mind must be unshakable and one’s ethics unbendable. You must give them that firm grounding.”

It all sounded way too grandiose for him, and he doubted the Chiss needed anything he could offer. “Don’t they have that already? Are they all like you?”

“Just as on Coruscant, appearances may be facades. When I was exiled, the Ruling Families were beginning to quarrel, and there is little doubt they have only continued to do so with increasing intensity. The Chiss must stand together if they are to survive.”

“You need a politician, then. Not me.” Eli leaned far back in his chair. 

“Another politician would only increase the conflict. What my people need is an outsider with no family ties and unquestionable moral fiber. Someone who can speak to them and defend them, not least of all, from themselves. Even if I could be spared from the Empire, my history renders me incapable of this. You, on the other hand, may be able to achieve what I never could and convince them to revoke the law regarding preemptive strikes.”

Eli was aghast. Thrawn couldn't be serious. “Sir… that’s insane. If you tried and couldn’t do that, there’s no way I could. You’ve seen the entirety of my career, sir. I’m nobody. The best I’ve ever been is in your shadow.”

Thrawn’s expression grew thoughtful. “I recall a time—near the Tabanna gas incident, I believe—when you desired my absence so that you could step out of that shadow.”

Eli shrugged with one shoulder. “Forgive the mistakes of that younger man, then. He didn't understand yet.”

“It was no mistake,” Thrawn said, shaking his head. “The time was not yet right. Now, it has arrived.”

Even as he argued, Eli could feel himself slowly being swayed by the concept. “Even if I agreed to this, I couldn’t leave the Empire either.” 

“When I spoke to the Emperor, I spoke of my concern. He would allow me to send you. As it happens, the Unknown Regions may be the safer place for you anyway. To be near me has always meant danger, but what with my promotion and the rising insurgents, the danger may escalate. Sending you to save my people achieves many things at once.”

“I’d be leaving you alone, though,” Eli pointed out with a frown. 

Thrawn’s sanguine expression couldn't quite hide his dissatisfaction from Eli as he answered, “No solution can be perfect. This one achieves the highest priorities. I have been alone before.”

Eli’s frown only deepened. As Thrawn’s aide, he handled a lot. The official duties, Thrawn could find replacements for. The unofficial things… things like adding extra security around places Thrawn went, accompanying Thrawn so that he was by himself as seldom as possible, being perhaps the one person Thrawn could actually talk to without silently battling xenophobia… those would be hard to replace. 

It had always been Eli’s theory, though he'd never say as much to Thrawn, that exile had left Thrawn unwilling to be alone again. In that way, he wasn't really replaceable. At the very least, he could install new security measures before leaving. 

There, he caught himself. He was acting like he'd already said yes. There were still questions. “If you were exiled, why wouldn’t they shoot me down?”

“Not everyone in the Ascendency was pleased with my exile. The Defense Fleet was even less pleased. Admiral Ar’alani had some say over the planet of my exile, and chose one she deemed likely to be found someday. She will be expecting me.”

One eyebrow rose. “You had this plan the whole time and never said?”

“You knew I wanted to help my people. I did not intend to send you until recently. I have no choice now.”

It figured Thrawn would even try to recruit their long-time adversary before recruiting him. “So I’m your last resort, huh?”

“Yes,” Thrawn answered as if as much should be obvious. With some amount of what seemed to be regret, he added, “I would not send you away if the need were not absolute.” 

Once again Thrawn’s words and his intent differed before further inspection. “Would I ever come back?” Eli asked. 

“I cannot say with certainty. There are details I am withholding from you, but they are few. I myself know little. I would have you return. The Ascendency may want to keep you so that you would have no way of revealing their location. If you succeeded in your task, however, they may allow you to leave. Others have in the past.” 

Leave everything behind, maybe forever, for the sake of the Chiss. That was the offer. It still sounded insane to Eli. Him, savior of the Chiss? Thrawn had wanted the Empire’s strength, and now he was so desperate he was willing to settle for Eli alone. 

Thrawn broke into Eli’s thoughts. “This is no order, Commander. I ask this of you as a request. The decisions lies with you alone.” 

“How long do I have to decide?”

“Not long. I’ve waited too long already. That is not all: I said that the danger of being near me may escalate, but I do not fear insurgents. Words passed between myself and the Emperor that leave me anxious. He may attempt to manipulate me. You are the obvious target.”

“I see,” Eli said softly. Using Thrawn’s phrases, he noticed. As for the choice, he was torn. The way Thrawn laid it out, there was no safety. Just danger in the unknown to save a whole species or danger near Thrawn for next to nothing. The navy would hardly notice his absence. 

“You were right to notice the color blend, Commander,” Thrawn broke in again, seeing Eli’s hesitation. “Lysatran and Chiss art differs greatly in style. The similarity is the blend. Imagine: two cultures, separated by distance and circumstance, each with artists who paint with the same philosophy. Who create with different sights, but one vision. What would happen if an artist from one culture painted the landscape of the other?” 

The question was likely rhetorical, but Eli answered it all the same. “A different spin on the style and a fresh result both cultures could understand, and maybe even appreciate.” 

Thrawn nodded deeply with a small smile. “You're learning, Commander.” 

“I wish there had been more time,” Eli muttered. 

“As do I,” Thrawn agreed. 

Still acting like he'd decided. Eli shook off the feeling of inevitability long enough to claim uncertainty. “I can't say for sure yet. Give me a rotation.” 

With little else spoken, Eli left. They both knew the rotation wouldn't amount to much. He'd as good as agreed already. All the same, it was too much to decide impulsively. 

When Eli returned to his quarters, he played at mulling it over and started packing a bag.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, if there is any factual detail I've gotten wrong, please tell me in comments so I can fix the issue. Thanks for reading! :)
> 
> [ **Friends**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11692443) may be a good fic to read right after this.
> 
> Edit: I got enough comments asking what the art I had in mind looked like that I went off and found some stuff that's similar. Here they are: [**Chiss**](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/256353403766524460/) [**Lysatran**](http://www.marypettis.com/images/Header-CottonwoodsandPrairieFlowers-30x40.jpg)


End file.
